


Prisoner & Paper Plane

by Latmeoutofhere



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Drama, F/M, Paper Plane, Romance, Sad, Sad Ending, Tragic Romance, latliech, latviaxliechtenstein, prisoner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 17:32:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18815683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latmeoutofhere/pseuds/Latmeoutofhere
Summary: It all began in the early spring of 1947. An unlikely yet doomed romance began to develop between the Jew Raivis Galante and the sickly, German girl Erika Zwingli. They only could talk with using paper planes, since Raivis was trapped in a concentration camp and only letters in forms of paper planes could make their way over the tall fence - talking would have only alarmed the guards and the general, Erika's older brother.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> !!!Warning!!!
> 
> This OneShot includes themes such as the holocaust and character death, as well as violence.
> 
> If you can't handle such themes I advise you to not read this.

He sighed. Life was just unfair and at the moment he wishes for nothing other than all of this to finally end. He's just 15 years old, he's not even an adult yet, merely a child and yet he has to deal with the confrontation of death, violence and hatred everyday. Just because he happens to be jewish. Wrong time, wrong place. His parents moved to Germany in the late 1919, around one year after their home country, Latvia, gained its independence from Russia. They saw great potential in Germany, thought that they had more chances there than they had in Latvia. And at first it seemed like that. They had their first and only child in November of 1927, that was him. Raivis. Raivis Galante. But when Hitler was voted for in 1933 everything changed, simply because they happened to be a jewish family. Why couldn't they just have been christian instead? Why didn't his parents just stay in Latvia instead? He didn't know, it was all just cruel and unfair. All of this. Ever since they were deported he didn't see his parents. He doesn't even know if they are still alive. If things would habe been different, if they would be christian or if they would live in Latvia instead, all of this would change their, or his, situation so much more. Of course, they still would be in war but he wouldn't be in such a place now.

It was the late spring of 1943, it's slowly getting warmer. He would turn 16 this November...if Raivis even lives to see that day, that is. At the moment he doesn't even know whether he lives to see the sun rise once again or not. Whether he lives to see the day when he is freed from this place.

"What am I even thinking...as if we will ever be freed from this place...", he mumbled. Right now he was outside, near the seemingly endless high fence that cages him inside of this cruel and sorrowful place. He's supposed to sweep and clean here. He doesn't understand exactly why, they are outside after all so of course it's dirty out here. But Raivis better shouldn't complain, doing this is much better than to be reminded of his place or worse...dying. And he has time to think about several things while doing this. They can make him scared of voicing his thoughts, but nobody can stop him from thinking them.

His stomach growled loudly at that and he held it. They didn't get nearly enough food, other people here already even starved. All of them are treated like...dirt, like second class humans. If they are treated like humans at all. Raivis himself practically only was skin and bones by now, it was hard to actually stand still, he just doesn't have nearly enough energy to properly function. But so far he has been getting enough food to barely survive...he still is hungry and just wants to eat. Raivis then looked up and weridly enough he saw...a person, on the other side of the fence. A girl...two blonde braids are hanging down from her head and she's wearing a white sundress and a white sunhat, a sunhat with a pink ribbon tied around it. She's carrying a pink scarf with her as well. And she looked at him...no, she even stared at him. Raivis blushed lightly, actually feeling a bit uncomfortable to have such a beautiful girl staring at him like that. He's ugly after all, being dirty, his dirty blonde hair looking all filthy and messy and having multiple bruises on his body. And let's not mention that he looks disgusting, considering how thin he is because of the lack of food. But...is that girl even human? Maybe...maybe Raivis is dying and she's an angel. His angel. And she's there to collect him and guide him into his afterlife. Or his lack of food makes him imagine things he just wants to see.

"H-Hello...? Are...are you real...?", he asked, barely loud enough for her to hear. She didn't really answer his question...all she did was nodding to that but how can Raivis even be sure that he doesn't imagine her? She just...seems to good, too beautiful...too pure to be real. And just then, she turned on her heels and walked away again. As suddenly as she was there, she disappeared again. That encounter certainly was unexpected and kind of random. And it only made Raivis realize how different he is from all those people outside. He was just a disgusting, filthy jew. This girl however was a pure, beautiful human being. She, along with all the other people outside of this camp, are just different and better than he, and all the other people in this camp, will ever be.

~~~

Two days passed since this incident and it still didn't leave Raivis' mind. He was still thinking about this girl...about seeing her on the other side of that fence. About how different he is from him. Maybe she really was an angel...or his imagination playing a prank on him. The more he thought about it, the more surreal her blonde braids, her pure white sundress and her appearence in general becomes. She just can't be real, it probably was just his imagination. His mind playing a little prank on him...yes, that's probably it. , Raivis thought to himself, sweeping the dirt near the fence once again. And he looked up, only to see her again. She seemed to be staring at him again and Raivis gulped...maybe she is real after all? Or his imagination plays the same prank on him.

This time she was holding somethin in her hand and Raivis looked confused at her and at what she was holding. It was a...paper plane?

A bit confused the male tilted his head, the female on the other side of the fence only smiled however and thre the paper plane she was holding over the fence, making it fly over the fence to Raivis. Raivis catched the plane and opened it. A letter...a letter disguised as a paper plane so that he gets it. The Latvian smiled at the idea and began to read the letter, began to read her sweet words. She wrote about the weather and mentioned how exhausted Raivis was looking the other day but not once mentioned her name or any information about herself. And as the Latvian was reading the letter she slowly began to walk away and Raivis couldn't help but smile softly as he looked after her while she was walking away. So they will communicate silently in order to prevent guards and officers to overhear them. _, Raivis thought to himself._

_As the day passed by and turned into the night, they had to go to their baracks and as Raivis was sure nobody watched he hid the paper plane he received earlier under his bed and got out his journal as well as a pen. That was all he was able to call his own now, everything else was taken away when he and his family arrived there. Usually he used his journal to write diary but now he wrote a letter, back to the girl. He also wrote a few lines about the weather and mentioned and described him thinking she is an angel when he first saw her and telling her not to worry about him looking exhausted. As he was done he ripped the page out of his journal and folded it to a paper plane, before going to sleep. Or rather...trying to sleep. On one hand he couldn't stop thinking about this blonde angel who is most definitely real, the paper plane she sent is real after all, because she just wouldn't leave his head. Normal and sweet thoughts somebody his age should have. However, his fears and anxiety and big fear of death were also keeping him alive that night, like all the countless nights before._

_~~~_

_They wrote each other a lot in the next few days. Those days turned to weeks and the weeks to months within the blink of an eye. The more he got to know about the girl over the fence the more he liked her...and Raivis actually fell in love with her. Her favorite flowers are yellow lilies, her favorite animal is the krestle and when she was younger she had a lop bunny as a pet. She never told the Latvian what her name is though. In an attempt to learn her name he told her his own in one of the many letters they sent and received by now, almost exchanging them everyday. His journal slowly has less and less pages he could use as paper for his letters._

_Today the girl over the fence didn't stop by but in the early evening the general, a relatively young man with blonde hair just like the girl over the fence and serious looking green eyes. Raivis was scaed of him, this man could end his life within the blink of an eye and nobody would stop him or punish him for doing so, instead he will probably get praised for it. He approached Raivis specifically and looked up to him and Raivis instantly felt like an ant, not even human or something close to a human anymore._

_"That's him, beat him up", he told two of the guards which just began to smirk at the thought and Raivis gulped. "B-But I didn't do anything wrong!", the Latvian said almost immediately with very obvious panic and fear of getting heard in his voice. "Beat him up even worse now because he dared to speak back to me", the general only said and Raivis could have punched himself, of course talking back will make it worse, he knew that and yet he still did that. They did beat Raivis up pretty badly, at some point he even lost consciousness, but when he woke up again he felt dried blood around his nose and his whole body ached, it was torture to get up and walk._

_In this situation right now he just wanted the girl over the fence to comfort him, she is the prettiest flower in the middle of every single dirty weed there after all and the only light Raivis has in his life at the moment. She made the Latvian believe all the lies they were told...lies about being free someday and being able to return home, Raivis knew it was impossible, he knew all of those were lies but he began to believe those and hope again, just because he dared to dream of a future with her by his side._

_~~~_

_A few more weeks have passed since then, the girl seemed very worried about all the bruises Raivis suddenly had. He told her about the situation with the general in one of his letters and their exchange of letters went on. The more time passed, the more he fell for her despite not even knowing her name and the more he wanted her to be in his future. Until that one day._

_She payed a visit after not showing up for a few days and Raivis was worried about her. He was worried sick but all those worries were blown away as she showed up again. The girl was more distanced when all the other times before however, confusing Raivis a bit but he greeted her with a smile anyways. She sent his letter and as he received it and read it, he was only more confused. The girl wrote about moving away and possibly never coming back and that she fell in love with him, causing tears to come to Raivis' eyes. , he thought to himself, looking back up to her and tilting his head confused. She only smiled, turning around and slowly starting to walk away. , he thought and gripped the paper._

_"I...I also love you! Will...will you ever come back? Please...please if you do...I'm going to wait for you! Right here! With your letters!", Raivis screamed after her as he began to cry. For a moment he could see the girl stopping in her tracks, as if she wants to turn around, but soon enough she continued her way, only making Raivis cry more. He felt so...hurt and heartbroken, as if someone ripped his heart right out of his chest. The Latvian also grabbed his curls in distress as he sank to his knees, having no idea what to do or how to move on._

_The Latvian almost cried the rest of the day, falling asleep while hugging the letters the girl has sent him. The letters he vowed to treat like a precious treasure until she comes back. But he was kicked by someone and woke up. It was one of the guards it seemes, Raivis sat up and looked up in fear as two guards began to hold him back and the general himself took one of the letters._

_"You also like yellow lilies? hearing that makes me happy and curious about your other tastes, Raivis!", read the guard out in a mocking voice and Raivis was scared but that also made him mad. Those were words made for only him to read, not for anyone else. And on top of that, those were her words! "That's mine! Give it back, you have no right to read that!", Raivis protested loudly and struggled and kicked, the two guards didn't let him go however. "How ridiculous and pathetic to forget your pathetic and low place like that", the general mocked furthermore as he began to rop the letter right in front of Raivis' eyes and something clicked in him, something that screamed NO! from the top of its lungs. He struggled more and broke free of the grip of the two guards and punched the general right in his face as he began to cry in pain. He just lost her today and now this guc is rippinmg the only thing he has left of her! The two guards proceeded into pulling the Latvian away from the general. "That's the only thing she left me! The only thing I have left in my life why do you take it away from me?! I just want to see her and be with her...! She didn't leave me anything but those! Not her name...nothing!", he screamed, obviously sounding very pained. The girl left him today and he was so hurt and heartbroken._

_"Off to the gas chamber with him", the general said and he was pulled to the gas chamber by the two guards, being quiet the whole way. he was pushed inside and the Latvian's mind just went blank. Seems like his turn has come by now. His mind however suddenly screaming out the want not to die, the want to see the girl at least once again and he got up to his feet, turning around and began to hit the huge door. "I just want to see her once more...", he said, beginning to cry once again._

_Slowly it became harder to breath and the people around him were screaming, Raivis being no exception. As his final moments rolled along he saw his life pass by...especially the moments with her. He never learned her name and if he has one regret it would be never learning the female's name. As he sunk to his knees he hit the door more. ___

__"...her name..."_ _


	2. Paper Plane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all began in the early spring of 1947. An unlikely yet doomed romance began to develop between the Jew Raivis Galante and the sickly, German girl Erika Zwingli. They only could talk with using paper planes, since Raivis was trapped in a concentration camp and only letters in forms of paper planes could make their way over the tall fence - talking would have only alarmed the guards and the general, Erika's older brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!Warning!!!
> 
> This OneShot includes themes such as the holocaust and character death, as well as sickness.
> 
> If you can't handle such themes I advise you to not read this.
> 
> \---------
> 
> For Rachel.

She sighed. Life just was unfair and she wishes for nothing more than for this to end. She is 15 years old, not an adult yet, just a mere child and she already has to carry so many worries on her weak shoulders. Her name was Erika, Erika Zwingli. Just 15 years old and already terribly ill. Her birthday is in the middle of the summer and who knows if she will ever even be able to live up to her own 16th birthday. It's truly terrible. But if this only would be her only worry and concern...it's the late spring of the year 1943, it's in the middle of the second World War. War is hard for everyone, the sickly Erika being noexception. But that still aren't all of her worries...her big brother is one of them too.

Erika was a normal German girl, having long blonde hair, pale skin and green eyes. However, she has been an orphan since as long as she can remember. Her big brother, Sebaschtien Zwingli, and herself grew up with her grandmother but ever since she died of old age it's only the two siblings. Sebaschtien, or Basch for short, did many little jobs to be able to feed Erika and himself but ever since Erika is sick and has to be in a hospital he needs a better paying job. So Basch looked for one and found one...an officer, a nazi officer to be exact. He has been promoted to a general recently too and Erika moved hospitals close to her brother's...workplace, just so that he can visit her regularly. 

Erika let out yet another sigh. She wasn't allowed to leave her bed, or her room, but she needs fresh air. The weather is nice at the moment too so why not take a little walk around the area? The blonde girl stood up, began to braid her hair into to braids and changed into a light white sundress and put on a sunhat, wrapping a pink ribbon around it and also taking a pink scarf with her to then leave the hospital. Most nurses and doctors she passed seemed to think she is only a visitor and let her leave without a second thought. Good for her. Basch was working at the moment too so it was her only real possibility to escape from hospital.

She took a walk around the area just like she wanted to...the grass was so green and the sky was so blue! Having spent so much time in a hospital almost made Erika forget the beauty of the nature outside...the fresh air entering her lungs also felt so very refreshing and it was just so very amazing. 'If only big brother would take such walks with me...', she thought, having her pink lips curl into a smile. Said smile however dropped when she was...smoke? Was that her brother's working place over there? Erika wasn't told details by him, of course, but this would fit the little information Basch told her and all the rumors she heard. A concentration camp, the place the deported jews are brought to.

Erika couldn't help her curiousity and stepped closer...and closer, until she eventually was standing right in front of one of the many high fences. There was a boy...around her height, maybe a few centimetres taller than her, looking exhausted and wearing what apparently they have to wear inside there as prisoners. Her guess was tat he was one, since her big brother's uniforms looked very differently. The boy looked very thin, even malnourished, and very exhausted. His dark blond, almost brown, curls were messy and dirty and dark bags were under his eyes as well. 'Poor thing...', the blonde thought at that. She didn't agree with what was happening currently at all but Basch told her to keep quiet, just for their safety and so Erika did. She wasn't sure if Basch agreed with her or not but she catches him more and more blaming jews for things which aren't their fault, such as Erika being sick. At this point the German girl pretty much was staring.

Suddenly the boy held his stomach and looked up to her. Erika was surprised and somewhat scraed, scared to scare the boy off. For a moment she held her breath in and tried to stand still, without notixing it she now stared at the male's face. It's dirty...she thought she saw some freckles too but wasn't sure since the face she was staring at was dirty. He had the deepest and most ocean like eyes Erika had ever seen...how beautiful. The blonde had never seen such beautiful eyes before, eyes which she seriously could get lost in.

"H-Hello...? Are...are you real...?", the male suddenly spoke out however. Or more...whispered, Erika only barely understood him. If she had to guess, she would guess he tries to be quiet to not have an officer notice the two of them. Erika gulped but nodded to answer the other's question. She would speak but being scared of being noticed by officers, maybe even her own big brother, was stronger than her want to speak out. things would only get ugly if officers were alerted, especially for him. Because she is the general's little sister. Erika then just turned on her heels, walking away from this small exchange. She would come back tomorrow...with a way to talk to him without speaking.

~~~

Erika was thinking a lot, all while playing the nice anf good girl in front of Basch, the nurses and the doctors. Always taking the medicine she was given, not talking back and being in her bed for the most part. A whole day already has passed since she had sneaked out for her walk and had encountered this boy...how could she talk to him? She can't just write a letter and ask Basch to give it to him, he would only get angry. The blonde looked out of her window while thinking, not even noticing how somebody had opened the door to her room and had entered.

"Hello Erika, how are you feeling?", it was Bach. Erike turned around from the window to the door and saw Basch there, smiling at her while holding a vase with yellow lilies. Her favorite.

"Better than a few days ago, big brother", the German girl answered, smiling back at him softly, "I see you brought flowers"

"Yes, yellow lilies. Those are your favorite, right?", Basch asked and as Erika nodded he placed the vase on her nightstand. They really were beautiful and made her white, bland and dark room look a little bit brighter.

"They are...they make my room look much friendlier, thank you so much!", Erika thanked happily, smiling and even giggling a bit. Only seconds after however she had to cough a bit. Her lungs hurt, breathing was hurting her a bit if she was honest.

"You know, big brother...when I'm better and the war is over...I want to take a long walk through the green grass with you. And I want to go on vacation", Erika said. She wasn't sure if she will ever get better or even see the end of this war...but if she ever does, she wants to do that. She however was sure she won't get better and will die inside of this hospital, as dark as this may sound.

"Of course...we will take the next plane and fly wherever you want to go", Bach said. Erika smiled at that, it was a sweet thought. What she didn't expect was her big brother taking one of her empty pieces of paper to make a paper plane out of that one and hand it to her so that she could throw it across the room. Paper plane...that was it! The idea how she could talk to the boy. She can write her letter and fold it to a paper plane, letting it fly over to him, over the fence dividing the two.

~~~

Another day has passed, Erika once again braided her hair into two braids, changed into her sundress and took her head and also took the written letter, folded to a paper plane, with her to deliver to to the boy. She didn't write anything special in the letter...just a bit of small talk about the weater, stating how exhausted the boy looks and that already was it. She just wanted to talk to him...the only person not knowing hos sick she was, the only person who will treat her normally and not like a sick child. In exchange, Erika will treat him normally and not like the prisoner he is being held as.

A little while passed and there he was, at the same spot like two days ago. He seemed confused at her bringing that paper plane but Erika only smiled, throwing the plane over the fence and let him catch it. He catched the paper plane, opened it and read it. And when Erika was sure he is reading it she turned around on her heels to walk away from the scene, smiling at herself since she was hoping for this to become a good friendship.

~~~

They did this for a few days. These days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months and eventually Erika's 16th birthday came along. She spent the majority of the day with her big brother until the early evening. And when Basch left Erika pulled one of the boy's letters out of her nightstand and read it again. It just was so beautifully written and it made the blonde's heart skip a beat and made her cheeks heat up. She learned his name is Raivis and that his parents come from Latvia...he was born and raised in Germany however. She learned so much information about him but still was too scared to even tell him her name, just in case Basch found the letters. The German girl was scared of Raivis getting in trouble because of her. Her big brother probably has the power of killing poor Raivis after all...even if Erika hated to think that.

Suddenly however the letter she was reading was pulled out of her hand and it made her look up in shock. Basch. Basch did that. He read it and seemed very angry about it.

"Don't! Don't read it!", the girl said with her much weaker voice, only to see Basch throwing the letter away, into the bin.

"So that's where the jews has been getting all this letters from...you're not allowed to see him, Erika! He only makes you sicker!", her big brother said and left the room as fast as he had entered it. She didn't understand. Raivis was always brightening up her day, he wasn't making her any sicker. Erika just didn't and couldn't understand.

~~~

A few more weeks have passed and Erika had become much weaker and sicker. She was sure...sure she would die soon. She wanted to live but it just was unavoidable. And if she loses her ability to walk...Erika wouldn't be able to leave her room again, she would be unable to say goodbye to Raivis. The boy she had fallen in love with. With pain she sat herself up, starting to write down. Her last words to him. And a confession, a confession of her love. She cried, she couldn't help but cry while writing the letter. Erika said she was moving away...not wanting him to know how sick she has been all the time, not wanting to worry him. The letter soon was folded to a plane and Erika looked down at her IV, breathing in and pulling it out of her arm while getting up and getting dressed as fast as she could. The girl couldn't walk for long, she had to hurry if she ever wanted her words to be delivered.

She was shaking and tumbling but made her way to the fence. The fence she hated oh so much...the fence dividing her from Raivis and dividing Rsivis from the outside world. Erika was more distanced this time than she was all the times before, quickly throwing the plane over the fence and as Raivis read it and looked at her, she shot him a smile before turning around, slowly stumbling away.

"I...I also love you! Will...will you ever come back? Please...please if you do...I'm going to wait for you! Right here! With your letters!", she heard him shout and it made her stop in her tracks. Erika wanted to tun around, tell him she loves him and that she wants to come back...telling him the truth but she just couldn't. Instead she began to cry and walked farer away from the fence...from Raivis.

However, when the blonde arrived back at the hospital she collapsed and lost her consciousness.

What she didn't witness was how Basch tried to get to her laying in her bed, connected to IVs and a heart monitor, receiving air through a machine. Nurses and doctors wouldn't let him. Instead he left angrily, knowing exactly who to blame Erika's bad health on and ready to seal his demise once and for all.

When Erika woke up in her bed, she only continued to cry. She felt horrible...physically and mentally. Her heart was broken and her physical health continued to get worse and worse.

~~~

Eventually this fateful day of Erika's goodbye was more and more in the past as her final days rolled along. She had more and more dreams...visions. Of being outside in the green grass, looking at the bright blue sky...seeing Raivis looking at her and then turning away from her.

Her heart rate was slowing down with every breath she took and weakly she could feel one of her hands being held. Basch? Probably Basch, since he was her only family.

What Erika didn't know was the guilt her brother was feeling, since he was responsible for the death of the boy Erika has fallen in love with so deeply. Now she won't even be able to see him one last time before she drifts away in her eternal slumber, dying and ending this life full of sickness and pain. As her breath slowed down more and more Basch placed one of the many paper planes in Erika's hands then.

Erika slowly was drifitng away more and more...she was on this field full of green grass again and saw a paper plane flying over her head...she followed to catch it, ran after it and arrived at the fence, seeing Raivis' back turned to her on the other side of the fence.

Then, her heartbeat stopped and Erika drifted away, once and for all...seeing the fence disappear and Raivis awaiting her holding a paper plane with a smile, making Erika drift away with a smile on her face...

and they were reunited

without a fence dividing them

ever again.

The End.


End file.
